Search form

TRENDING:

A key Republican lawmaker has denied that special counsel Robert Mueller's indictments involving former Trump campaign officials will distract from the GOP push for tax reform this week.

"I don’t think they impact agenda on Capitol Hill, I think they do influence the national debate," veteran Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said in an interview with The Hill.

"If you are a Republican you’d rather be talking about tax reform and tax reductions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and you’re not — at least not until that bill is released," said Cole, a member of the House Budget Committee.

Cole emphasized that passing tax reform is a "make or break moment for Republicans." House Republicans plan to unveil their long-awaited tax plan on Wednesday.

GOP lawmakers "know they have got to produce a victory here, after the failure of [ObamaCare] repeal and replace in the Senate, so I don’t think anything is likely to distract individual members from getting their job done," Cole said.

Mueller on Monday revealed the first charges in his investigation into Trump campaign associates and any ties or coordination with Russia's meddling during last year's election.

The special counsel indicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on nine criminal counts including money laundering and tax fraud, while announcing that another former campaign aide pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his contacts with Russians.